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Judas (song)
"Judas" is a song by Lady Gaga from her third album, "Born This Way". The song title was revealed through Vogue magazine. "Judas" is set to be the second single from the album. The song was registered on Gaga's BMI on March 18, 2011. Gaga announced via Twitter that she will announce the release date during the 41st Transmission Gagavision on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. She officially anounced that Judas would be released on April 19th, however, the song was released 4 days earlier than scheduled. Background :This section need expanding and a cleanup. Vogue described the song in brief detail. “''The melody sounds like it was written for the Ronettes, but it is set to a sledgehammering dance beat and is about falling in love with the wrong men and backstabbing them, of the biblical variety.” The magazine also reported that the song would be the second single off the album. During an interview with Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly on February 15th, Gaga reaffirmed this claim, and that the single is set to be released "a few weeks" before the album. Speaking further about the song, Gaga mentioned that it had a more Bruce Springsteen rock n' roll/metal sound but was still a hardcore upbeat dance song. She added that it was "''a very dark and in depth song, much more twisted than "Born This Way". During an interview with Elvis Duran, Gaga stated that the song is about "always falling in love with the wrong men." On February 18th, Rolling Stone magazine revealed part of the lyrics. On April 8th, Popjustice revealed another part of the lyrics. On March 1st, Fernando Garibay discussed the track stating: :"Judas' is produced by RedOne and Gaga, obviously, and it's a statement about - again I can't speak for her - but what I gather is it's about sometimes not choosing the right choice. But you can't deny that the choice is not a part of you and who you are. 'Judas' is a dance song, definitely. I think 'Judas' is in the traditional RedOne/GaGa vein. It's great because it's a serious message, it's a little playful, but still serious, but still somehow you wind up dancing to it. That's what's great about her music. You know, like, my favorite songs of all time, dance songs - 'Billie Jean' is a story you wouldn't think of singing but then you wind up dancing and singing the lyrics. I think that's the holy grail of music for me, which is dance." During Musicians@Google Presents: Google Goes Gaga, Gaga explained the meaning of the song. :"''It's no surprise, I'm sure, to many of you, that Judas is a man of the biblical senses, so expect to see some symbolism in this video ... You have to look into what is haunting you and you need to look into forgiving yourself in order to move on. And it's really fun to dance to and sounds like it could be a pop priest record." During the 43rd Transmission Gagavision, Gaga referred to her creating process as "vomit from the mind," which is in reference to the line, "Fame hooker/ Prostitute wench/ Vomits her mind" echoes this statement. Biblical references Here is a list of all the biblical references that there are in the lyrics of the song: *''"I'll wash his feet with my hair if he needs"'' - It's a reference to Mary Magdalene, who washed Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair. *''"Even after three times he betrays me"'' - It's a reference to Peter who denies Jesus three times when he is arrested before the following cockcrow. On May 06th, Laurieann Gibson spoke with MTV about the religious imagery saying: :" To the religious groups, I don't even know that there's religious in there. I'm like, you know, Jesus did have a crown of thrones, he did die for my sins. I'm a believer, so I say to them, those religious people, personally, I can't speak for Gaga, but as a director, a choreographer, as a believer, I say, 'Take a look at yourself.' For me, I would never defame my savior and the love and the non-judgment of what Jesus means to me. So I say, 'Take a closer look at why you're judging. The discussions were massive, the concepts were many prior to landing on a place. They were just exciting, full of passion. It was a magical process and we're really proud of where we ended up. "I think the concept stuck with this one because ultimately there was a place where we wanted to leave the interpretation up to each individual and not take away Gaga's power as a performer, as a dancer, as a star. And to leave the moments for you to interpret, and be inspired by the fact that everyone has a Judas in their life and there is a place of deliverance." Commercial Release "Judas" was confirmed by Gaga as the second single on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, American Top 40, on February 14, 2011. Gaga announced the release date for Judas on Gagavision #41, her webcast show, to be on April 19, 2011. Let the cultural baptism begin. If they were not who you were taught they would be, would you still believe?" "Judas" was scheduled to be sent to mainstream airplay on April 19, 2011, and digital retailers on the same day, but after the track was leaked to the internet, its release was brought forward to April 15, 2011. This was done to counteract the pre-release leaks. Before the release, Gaga tweeted about the single, saying: "#PawsUpForJudas! I've learned love is like a brick, you can build a house or sink a dead body." On April 15, 2011, hours before the song was played on radio she again tweeted: "Even After Three Times He Betrays Me," she wrote, harking back to the song's lyrics about love and betrayal. "THE REAL JUDAS: HE'S EVERYWHERE, NOW. DON'T STOP UNTIL HE'S YOURS," she added. In the United Kingdom, the song premiered on The Capital FM Network on April 15, 2011, during their program Home Run. Within the first 24 hours of its iTunes release, Judas was number one in twelve countries: Canada, United States, Mexico, Finland, Portugal, France, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Spain, and Sweden. It was also in the Top 10 on all 23 iTunes charts. In the 42nd episode of Gaga's web video series called Transmission Gagavision, it was revealed that the single's accompanying cover artwork was designed by Gaga in Microsoft Word and features a black background with the word "Judas" written in red capital letters in Impact font. Below it is a red Christian cross with a heart in the middle. Gaga photographed the design on her computer screen using her cellular telephone "for texture," which resulted in visible pixels on the letters and cross, as well as a faint reflection of her face and hands holding the phone, to appear on the cover. Judas-Single.png|''Official single cover artwork taken on April 9, 2011. '' Physical Releases The physical CD was released on May 13th, 2011 in Germany and certain cities with the Twin Shadow's remix of Born This Way. '''Barcode: 602527727028 Format: Slimcase Digital releases Judas The Remixes Released: May 16, 2011 Remixes *DJ White Shadow Remix *Hurts Remix *R3HAB Remix *Chris Lake Remix *Goldfrapp Remix *Mirrors "Un Autre Monde - Nuit Mix" *John Dahlbäck Remix *Guéna LG "Club" Remix Live Performances On April 17, 2011, Gaga performed some vocals over the studio track of "Judas" at a nightclub called Kennedy Lounge, in Tampa, Florida, after her Monster Ball show in the city's St. Pete Times Forum. *The Ellen DeGeneres Show (April 28, 2011) *The Monster Ball Tour (May 3, 5, 6, 2011 only) *Robin Hood Gala (May 9, 2011) *Le Grand Journal (May 11, 2011) *The Graham Norton Show (May 13, 2011) *BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend (May 15, 2011) Lyrics Music Video Gaga revealed in an interview with Google that she is going to make her directorial debut alongside her creative director/choreographer Laurieann Gibson for the music video for "Judas." The shooting of the video started on April 2nd, 2011, and ended April 4th, 2011. Although initially reported to be premiered during an episode of the tenth season of American Idol,58 the music video will be premiered on May 5, 2011, on E! News at 7 pm and E! Online at 11.30 pm. Development :This section need expanding and a cleanup. On March 1st, MTV posted videos of an interview with creative director and choreographer Laurieann Gibson. She stated that at that point in time, rehearsal for the Judas video had begun. She revealed that the record was very riveting and energetic and something really phenomenal. She also stated that they would be attempting to be as extreme as possible with the visuals, the choreography and the costuming. So, visually, the dance, the costuming, the idea of how big we're trying to go, it's going to be a roller-coaster ride.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659196/lady-gaga-judas-video.jhtml In a later interview with MTV, Gibson said that there will be famous cameos in the video, and that the video was different than many people perceived it will be.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661567/lady-gaga-judas-video.jhtml Confusion arose when MTV claimed that the rumor of Francis Lawrence, the same director as Bad Romance was true. However at the time, Laurieann's answer reflected the still at the time, ongoing discussion about the director for the video.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659196/lady-gaga-judas-video.jhtml "There is director in mind. What is a traditional music video? Even if we go with a traditional music video, the directors that we love are not traditional, so the idea that they get to collaborate with us means they too want to live outside of what people expect a traditional music video to be." On March 23rd, 2011, during the Musicians@Google Presents: Google Goes Gaga interview, Lady Gaga revealed that the director for the music video was in fact herself with the new creative director and choreographer Laurieann Gibson.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660468/lady-gaga-judas-video.jhtml :"I'm very excited. Actually, I can exclusively reveal here at Google that I will be making my directorial debut with Laurieann Gibson, directing this video with her ourselves" Laurieann Gibson later stated though that they had approached a director, however dates were messed up and schedualing conflicts with the director were created, so Lady Gaga and her manager Troy Carter asked her to co-direct the video.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661567/lady-gaga-judas-video.jhtml Francis Lawrence revealed in mid-April that he was supposed to be directing the video, but cancelled due to schedualing conflicts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4J__M0LlhI&feature=player_embedded#at=356 Giving some background on the song, Gaga explained that "It's no surprise, I'm sure, to many of you, that Judas is a man of the biblical senses, so expect to see some symbolism in this video." She continued explaining that the song/video is about confronting one's demons. "You have to look into what is haunting you and you need to look into forgiving yourself in order to move on. And it's really fun to dance to and sounds like it could be a pop priest record." On March 4, Nicola Formichetti, fashion director, tweeted lyrics to the song and that he already started working on the fashions for the music video: :"I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel, but I’m still in love with Judas, Baby. JUDAS FASHION. so excited i can’t sleep!" Also, Lady Gaga revealed to WE News that she designed an outfit, created by the Haus of Gaga, for the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9DL2Ak6Pio&feature=player_embedded Lady Gaga revealed to NME magazine that the music video will involve motorbikes, death and, in the final seconds, a strong spoken word sequence about being "beyond repentance". She added: "This is my way of saying "I've already crossed the line. I won't even try to repent." Nor should I." '' Lady Gaga told MSN Canada that the video is a metaphor about forgiveness and it ''“puts destiny above all things and postures that the mistakes in your life are in fact not mistakes at all, they are just part of your overarching potential and your destiny.” She added: “I want to allow the video to speak for itself but I will say that the theme of the video and the way that I wanted to aesthetically portray the story was as a motorcycle Fellini movie where the apostles are revolutionaries in a modern-day Jerusalem. And I play Mary Magdalene leading them into the town where we meet Jesus and I will leave the rest for you to see. But it’s meant more to celebrate faith than it is to challenge it.” Shooting was from April 2 to April 4 in Los Angeles, California. Many scenes were shot through the night, On the April 3, Gaga Tweeted: :"Directing JudasVideo with my sister @boomkack is the most exciting artistic moment of my career. It's the greatest work we've done. Day 2." Nicola Formichetti took to his Twitter after the first day. :"Just finished shooting our incredible day 1. We are so blessed." Luc Carl also took to his Twitter. :"Breaking rules once again. This shit is bad ass. JudasVideo" On April 22, during The Monster Ball Tour concert at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, Gaga said the video would premiere during the first week of May.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcfE6uswPOs&feature=player_embedded#at=108 On May 6, 2011, Norman Reedus discussed the video with MTV saying that Gaga had everyone on their toes in the best way possible. He stated: "I like the lipstick part, because that was sort of last minute, she just jumped up was like, 'I have this great idea. I'm gonna put lipstick in front of you, and right before you kiss Jesus, I'm going to pull out this gun, and I'm gonna pull the trigger, and then a lipstick's come out, and then I'm going to put it on you like I'm enabling the kiss!'. She looked at me like, 'Is that cool?' And I'm like, 'Rad.' And we did it. I liked how she was so spontaneous." He stated that another favorite scene is the opening shot, where Judas, Mary Magdalene (Gaga) and Jesus (Rick Gonzalez) are all on the road with their biker-gang disciples. " got there the first day, and we all took motorcycle lessons a parking lot and one of the disciples trashed his motorcycle up against the curb, which was hysterical. So we did that, and then they cut off part of the freeway and actually cops would fly by us and section off the road. So we rode in a pack. Gaga wasn't driving the bike, but she was riding on the back. ... We were flying down the freeway, and she got up on the back ... and was way off the back of the seat and hanging backwards and stuff, which was a daredevil move; it was pretty intense. She had all these jewels all over her, and every once and a while, you could see behind her bike just a trail of jewels dropping on the freeway. It was kind of magic." He also discussed his reaction to the video, "My reaction when I saw it? I was excited to see my motorcycle in it first off, 'cause that's my bike that I ride, and I thought it was really good, I thought that co-director Laurieann Gibson did a really good job and GaGa did a good job, and I know there's a lot of work put into it, and I could see all the work on the screen, so I liked it." Synopsis / Fashion Arriving in Jerusalem The video opens with a motorcycle gang cruising down a freeway, wearing studded leather jackets. The motorcycle gang are the Twelve Apostles that Jesus is said to have, including Judas. Gaga as Mary Magdalene clutches onto a Jesus (Rick Gonzalez) who wears a golden crown of thorns. Among the riders is Judas, who crosses Gaga's bike as she looks meaningfully towards him. The gang passes under a flyover, when the song starts. 5-2-11 03.png Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_051.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_075.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_090.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_094.jpg 292000154.jpg 291995849.jpg : Gaga: outfit, gloves by Mugler, headpiece and necklace by Marianna Harutunian, cape, heart sunglasses by Haus of Gaga, jewelry by Erickson Beamon : Jesus: thorn crown by Marianna Harutunian with perfecto jacket by Schott, cross necklace by Erickson Beamon, hooded cape by Ayumi Shibata for SLOW. : Apostles: leather outfit by Haus of Gaga/Tom Tom Dance outside the church They reach their rustic hideout called "Electric Chapel" where Gaga dances wearing a red sarong and a bikini top with crosses stitched onto her sarong Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_111.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_150.jpg :Gaga: Bra and panties by Haus of Gaga, boots by Shoes for the Stars, skirt by Raquel Allegra :Dancers: outfits by Raquel Allegra Electric Chapel with the apostles Once the gang arrives, Gaga Magdalene pushes Judas, further showing they have history. At the party, Judas causes a ruckus and starts fights, showing he’s trouble. While trying to protect Jesus from the fights she attempts to warn him about his apostle's impending betrayal, but becomes hypnotized by Judas' allure. Lady Gaga's hair is styled to be similar to a hat worn in the vatican in this scene Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_139.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_142.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_302.jpg Christian Lacroix Judas2.jpeg ChristianLacroixJudas1.jpeg :Lady Gaga: The Black Corseted Jacket by Christian Lacroix (Fall 2008) Dancing inside the Electric Chapel Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_151.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_159.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_187.jpg :Lady Gaga: perfecto jacket by Schott, bra and panties by Haus of Gaga, boots by Alexander McQueen (Fall 2011), tights by Capezio :Dancers: dresses by Ayumi Shibata for SLOW, t-shirts by Dr Noki’s NHS, layers pieces by Raquel Allegra With Jesus / The Market The pat on Peter's back as she sings "you can build a house" references a line in the Bilble when Jesus said, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church". Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_207.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_217.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_218.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_236.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_243.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_448.jpg Peter.png :Lady Gaga: blue leather outfit by Alex Noble, boots by Alexander McQueen, tights by Capezio :Dancers: outfits by Ayumi Shibata for SLOW Kiss of Judas After the second chorus, in a climatic sequence, the singer holds a gun up to Judas' mouth, and a stick of red lipstick bursts out and smears his lips. The scene portrays Gaga's choice to refuse to shoot Judas through the heart Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_308.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_311.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_326.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_335.jpg :Lady Gaga: Catsuit, headpiece, lipstick gun by Haus of Gaga, faux fur by Saulo Villela by Adrienne Landau, cross ring by The Dragon Lady. Washing Jesus' and Judas' feet As the breakdown ends, the music stops and Gaga is seen in a bathtub with Jesus and Judas, washing their feet and cleaning it with her hair. The sequence is interspersed with Gaga standing lonely on a rock as waves engulf her. The music restarts and Judas is shown pouring beer in the bathtub. Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_247.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_344.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_420.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_355.jpg :Lady Gaga: top by Haus of Gaga, tights by Capezio, gold bracelet by Versace Cultural Baptism The sequence is interspersed with Gaga standing lonely on a rock as waves engulf her, the scene being reminiscent of artist Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Jesus marching towards his fatal destiny Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_340.jpg Gaga-lapointe2.jpg :Lady Gaga: Gold dress by Sally Lapointe, jewels by Erickson Beamon The Betrayal Next Jesus is shown standing on a stage, surrounded by his supporters, the setting being inspired by scaffoldings present around newly constructed buildings. Gaga kneels in front of Jesus and tries to explain something to him, but he places his palm on her head as Judas looks on. After Judas delivers the fateful kiss upon Jesus' cheeks, marking him for his death, Gaga falls on the ground with a silent, anguished cry. Stoning of Mary Magdalene The video ends with the death of neither Judas nor Jesus, but of Gaga as she's stoned to death by the crowd in a bridal dress. Gaga stated in an interview with E! News that this was included because she figured if the public is going to stone her for the video, she might as well stone herself first. She also continued that it was a metaphor for Mary Magdalene not being taken as an apostle in a church Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_457.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_459.jpg Lady_Gaga_-_Judas_475.jpg :Lady Gaga: dress by Christian Lacroix (Fall 2008), crown by Erik Halley, gloves by Lacrasia, shoes by Underground. Credits *'Mary Magdalene' — Lady Gagahttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661567/lady-gaga-judas-video.jhtml *'Judas' — Norman Reedushttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661567/lady-gaga-judas-video.jhtml *'Jesus' — Rick Gonzalez http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1663256/rick-gonzalez-realm-reality-invisible-man.jhtml *'Direction' — Lady Gaga & Laurieann Gibsonhttp://twitter.com/#!/ladygaga/status/54622225256550400 *'Choreography and Creative Direction' — Laurieann Gibson *'Fashion Director' — Nicola Formichettihttp://twitter.com/#!/formichetti/status/54489981288316928 *'Styling assistant' — Anna Trevelyon, Brandon Maxwell http://twitter.com/#!/annatrevelyan/status/54644421320384513 *'Make up' — Val Garlandhttp://twitter.com/#!/TheValGarland/status/54619920448761857 *'Hair' — Frederic Aspiris *'Nails' — Aya Fukuda, Deborah Lippmann *'Haus of Gaga Fashion Team' — Perry Meek, Tony Villanueva *'Extra's wardrobe stylist' — Djuna Bell *'Assistants' — Lauren Machen, Annie Castaldi *'Dancers' — Mark Kanemura, Victor Rojashttp://twitter.com/#!/mKiK808/status/54516779015344128, Asiel Hardison, Amanda Balen, Molly D'Amour, Sloan-Taylor Rabinor, Montana Efaw Credits Personnel *'Mixing' — Trevor Muzzy at Henson Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA) *'Mastering' — Gene Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering (Burbank, CA) Publishing References *Born This Way Booklet *BMI | Repertoire Search Category:Songs Category:Singles Category:Music Videos Category:Tour song Category:Born This Way songs Category:Born This Way Singles Category:The Monster Ball Tour song